An Unsettled Japan America Symphony

Every performance by the Japan America Symphony creates a confluence of cultural sources, and never more so than in its debut appearance at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Monday night.

Conductor Heiichiro Ohyama, a native of Kyoto, Japan, has now led the symphonic organization for five years; Korean-born pianist Tong-Il Han was the resourceful soloist in the Schumann Concerto; the Korean Master Chorale of Los Angeles comprises musicians of many backgrounds; a vocal quartet of young and promising soloists in Haydn’s Mass “In Time of War,” listed Hyunjoo Kwak, Andrea Trebnik, David Kim and Christophoren Nomura. Add the two German composers and you practically have a goulash.

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This stew did not always blend. Blame the stars, blame rehearsal time, blame a conductor who concentrates on the long line rather than the crucial detail. All parties, especially the orchestra, performed competently, bravely--and nervously.

At one point, at the beginning of the “Agnus Dei” in the Mass, part of the chorale became detached from its colleagues; apparently unfazed, Ohyama proceeded and the problem ironed itself out. Still, an artistic peak had been flattened.

At least Ohyama’s overview of the work displayed nobility and a Haydnesque boldness, the chorale, sometimes vague about attacks, sang gamely and the soloists, especially mezzo Trebnik, offered a strong down payment on future achievement. For the most part, the instrumentalists proved solid.

In the concerto, the veteran Han, who now teaches in Boston, offered refined and reliable playing but little leadership; that function was incompletely filled by generalized conducting and flabby orchestral playing and the results were loose. Too bad: An unsettled performance seemed a poor way for the orchestra to end its 35th season.